Filtration rates of the manila clam, Ruditapes philippinarum, in tidal flats with different hydrographic regimes

The manila clam Ruditapes philippinarum is widely distributed in the sandy mud sediments of tidal flats and plays a role in seawater purification by filtering suspended organic matter. This study was designed to evaluate differences in seawater purification based on the filtration rate of the manila clam in terms of particulate organic matter (POM) between two tidal flats with different hydrographic regimes. In situ experiments were carried out at Geunso and Sihwa tidal flats, along the west coast of Korea. The amount of POM removed from the water column by the feeding activity of the clam was measured in the field using a closed circulation chamber. The filtration rate of clams for POM at Sihwa tidal flat (2.86 for POC, 2.29 for PON and 5.46 L h-1 gDW-1 for Chl a) was higher than that at Geunso tidal flat (0.61 for POC, 0.89 for PON and 2.54 L h-1 gDW-1 for Chl a) which resulted from differences in the hydrographic regime, including tide characteristics, current speed and submergence time, and food quantity and quality. The current speed was much greater at Geunso tidal flat than at Sihwa tidal flat, but the submergence time by tide was longer at the latter site than the former, resulting in different feeding times for clams. The food quantity in terms of chlorophyll a was higher at Sihwa tidal flat than at Geunso tidal flat, and the food quality based on the C/N ratio of POM was better at the former site than the latter, with values of 12.8 and 15.6, respectively. These findings suggest that hydrographic regime could be important in understanding in situ filtration rates of R. philippinarum.